Call it the case of “The Spy Who Scrubbed Me.”
In an odd twist on spycraft, the Central Intelligence Agency has funded a company that makes a “skin resurfacing” beauty product called Clearista – a version of which also can be used to collect DNA and biomarkers.
According to a report on the investigative website The Intercept, the CIA’s venture capital division, In-Q-Tel, has invested in Clearista’s maker, Skincential, which has patented a technology that removes a thin skin layer, revealing unique biomarkers that can be used for various tests, including DNA identification.
Which may mean that the method used, according to the Clearista website, to cause “a reduction in the appearance of unsightly blemishes, roughness, and unevenness to reveal smoother, younger skin” could also be employed to reveal the DNA of operatives and miscreants targeted by the CIA.
Clearista already has garnered several prominent fans, including Oprah Winfrey’s magazine, “O,” and beauty bloggers, such as Glam Latte's Jamie Walsh, who said her skin was "glowing" after using it.. “The first time you use this product, you will be, like, where have you been all my life,” gushed Walsh in a YouTube posting. “You will see instant results!”
According to the technology website DCInno, In-Q-Tel was founded in 1999 by then-CIA director George Tenet with the aim of funding companies that could provide technology useful to the agency. In this case, the product could be used to remove skin from suspects – surreptitiously or not – in order to pursue an investigation.
The CIA, of course, is not revealing anything about this. “IQT does not participate in media interviews or opportunities,” a spokesperson told The Intercept.
Meanwhile, though, California-based Skincential is trying to make a buck by turning the product into a beauty aid. “My face felt soft and like it wasn’t sagging. … It’s giving me results I thought I could never get with any type of product,” reports one user in a testimonial on the Clearista website.
“The process was so easy, so gentle, and so painless,” says another.
Maybe Donald Trump won’t need to bring back waterboarding after all.
